Chapter 29: The genius Guo Jia debates, first duel with Liu Wu
Just when Liu Wu discovered that Cao Cao had sent more and more scouts and spies, and felt that a battle with Cao Cao was inevitable, he was actively preparing for the battle.

Xudu was indeed holding an important meeting.

And the subject of discussion was Wancheng.

Liu Wu seized Nanyang County and killed Yu Jin and Cao Ren. This was a great humiliation for Cao Cao.

It even reminded Cao Cao of the Battle of Wancheng with Zhang Xiu.

This can be said to be the second painful blow he suffered.

Cao Cao sent a large number of scouts and spies to infiltrate Wancheng. He did decide to give up attacking Yecheng and attack Nanyang County instead.

Nanyang County is too close to Xu Du and the threat is too great.

It is impossible for Cao Cao to move the capital because of Liu Bei.

Otherwise, the momentum created by Cao Cao will suffer a severe blow.

Since Xudu cannot be moved, the only way is to destroy Liu Bei’s forces and take back Nanyang County! !
……

Xudu, Sikong’s residence, meeting hall.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat.

Cao Cao was already 48 years old, which was considered quite old in ancient times. His hair was half gray, his beard was white, and his face was serious, making him look even more powerful.

In the hall, dozens of civil officials and military generals including Xun You, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Hong, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Shang, Cao Zhen, Xu Chu, Li Dian, Le Jin, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and others gathered. It can be said that there were brilliant generals and numerous civil officials.

Around Cao Cao were Prince Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi and others.

If Liu Wu saw this scene, he would probably be silent.

“Cough cough…”

Cao Cao, who was sitting in the main seat, coughed lightly, and all the civil and military officials bowed in unison.

Cao Cao’s majestic aura instantly filled the hall, and everyone felt pressured.

“Liu Bei is a traitor. He killed my cousin and seized my Wancheng. What do you think I should do?” Cao Cao looked at the civil and military officials and said in a deep voice.

Cao Cao’s face was as gloomy as water, and as soon as the ice and snow began to melt, he could not wait to use his troops. All the civil and military officials understood Cao Cao’s determination to attack Liu.

“Sikong, Zhang Xiu is willing to be the vanguard, take Liu Bei’s head for Sikong and seize Nanyang!”

Just as Cao Cao finished speaking, a general who was standing at the back with Zhang Liao stepped forward, bowed and spoke loudly.

Zhang Xiu spoke first, instantly attracting the attention of Cao Cao and a group of civil and military officials.

Jia Xu’s mouth twitched slightly, and he was quite helpless about Zhang Xiu standing up and asking for an attack.

You, Zhang Xiu, were entrenched in Wancheng, making it very difficult for Cao Cao to capture it. Now, you stand up again and want to capture Wancheng?

Would Cao Cao agree?

What’s the difference between this and Liu Bei, who was originally a vassal under Cao Cao, drinking plum wine with him, then used the excuse of going out to lead troops, and then became independent, and now has become a thorn in Cao Cao’s side?
Jia Xu stood up and mourned for Zhang Xiu in his heart.

Sure enough, Zhang Xiu’s high-spirited request for battle did not win the applause of the civil and military officials. Instead, they all ridiculed him and looked at him in anger.

However, Cao Cao did not say anything, so they didn’t know what to say.

Cao Cao, who was sitting in the main seat, looked at Zhang Xiu earnestly with his eyelids twitching. For a long time, just when Zhang Xiu also felt that the atmosphere around him was not right and was a little panicked, Cao Cao spoke:

“In this battle, Cao will lead the troops personally. You can follow his orders on the battlefield!”

“Yes!” Zhang Xiu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing what Cao Cao said. He quickly bowed and then retreated.

This time he volunteered to fight because he wanted to make a contribution and show himself.

In the second year of Jian’an (197), Cao Cao led his army to the south and attacked Wancheng. Zhang Xiu knew that he was much weaker than Cao Cao, so he chose to surrender. However, Cao Cao took Zhang Xiu’s aunt (Zhang Ji’s widow) as a concubine, which aroused his dissatisfaction and anger. Therefore, he rebelled and attacked Cao Cao, resulting in Cao Cao’s defeat. His eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin and fierce general Dian Wei were killed in the battle.

Later, he surrendered to Cao Cao.

In order to show his sincerity and trust, Cao Cao let his adopted son Cao Jun marry Zhang Xiu’s daughter, and the two became in-laws. This move deepened the political alliance between him and Cao Cao.

Cao Cao then showed great tolerance and valued him. He appointed him as General Yangwu and gave him important military tasks in a series of subsequent wars. Zhang Xiu was promoted to General Po Qiang for his meritorious service in the Battle of Guandu.

It can be said that Cao Cao treated him very well.

However, Zhang Xiu still felt that the other members of the Cao family around him were dissatisfied with him, and he also felt guilty towards Cao Cao, so he wanted to challenge Cao Cao.

Zhang Xiu was the first to step forward and asked Cao Cao to express his determination to attack Wancheng three more times. All the civil and military officials understood Cao Cao’s determination to fight this battle.

Generals such as Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He all became more eager to fight.

However, several counselors including Xun You, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia all frowned.

Throughout the winter, they studied the current situation in the world and the possible movements of the army after the spring.

Cheng Yu could not help but stand up first and bowed to Cao Cao:

“Sikong wants to personally attack Wancheng, Yu feels something is wrong!”

“Cheng Yu, how dare you stop me from avenging Zixiao?” Cao Cao shouted angrily when he heard this.

All the military generals, especially the Cao family members, glared at Cheng Yu angrily.

“Cheng Yu dare not stop Sikong from avenging General Cao Ren, but Wancheng is a strong city and not easy to capture. If Liu Bei defends it to the death, the Yuan family in the north will be restless and will not let go of this opportunity. Please think twice, Sikong!”

Cheng Yu hurriedly advised Cao Cao with earnest words, fearing that Cao Cao would act impulsively.

When Cao Cao heard Cheng Yu’s words, his anger froze for a moment, but then he sneered loudly and disdainfully:

“Haha, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan are both dogs. How dare they provoke me, Cao Cao? Yuan Shao is no match for me, Cao Cao. How dare they attack my Xu Capital?”

Cao Cao’s loud voice echoed throughout the hall, surprising Xun You, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, Guo Jia and other counselors.

In fact, they all knew that it would not be a good thing if Cao Cao personally led the army to attack Wancheng.

Because Xu Du is located in a plain with no strategic location to defend. It can be said that any prince with a little bit of brains would seize the opportunity when Cao Cao’s troops were attracted to Beiwan City to attack Xu Du.

But the key point is, do Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan have this ambition?

Do you have the courage?

Cao Cao even defeated Yuan Shao, a powerful man who owned four states, so how could they defeat him when they only occupied one state?

It has to be said that Cao Cao’s firm tone obviously left them speechless.

Because, under normal circumstances, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan did not seem to dare to attack Cao Cao, but were happy that Liu Bei helped them attract hatred, so that Cao Cao would let them go and they could be comfortable for a year or two. However, this was not in line with the strategy of a wise man.

Even if Yuan Shang was a fool, he still had the counselors left by Yuan Shao by his side.

They should be able to see this!

Cheng Yu urged Cao Cao:

“The fate of Sikong Xudu is related to the Han Dynasty. We must not take it lightly. To conquer Wancheng, we can send generals along the way. Sikong should stay in Xudu and suppress the surrounding princes!”

However, Cheng Yu felt that although Cao Cao had destroyed Yuan Shao and his power had greatly increased, and all the heroes in the world were afraid of him, he was also surrounded by many wolves.

“Stay in Xu Du? Cheng Yu, I know what you mean. But I will never stay in Xu Du. I will personally take Liu Bei’s head and offer sacrifice for his filial piety!” Cao Cao still didn’t believe that Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan in the north would dare to provoke him.

Ever since the destruction of Yuan Shao, in Cao Cao’s mind, the four northern states belonged to him.

Cao Cao felt that it would be best for him to lead the expedition to Wancheng personally.

The morale of their own side would be greatly boosted, and taking Liu Bei’s head personally would also shock the heroes of the world.

Cheng Yu was speechless. Seeing that he could not persuade Cao Cao, he became quite worried.

In fact, this is the monarch.

Everyone has their own personality and ideas. How can they listen to you in everything before things happen?

At this time, Guo Jia also stood up, his pale face showing a hint of ruddy, and he bowed to Cao Cao and said:

“My lord, if Jia’s guess is correct, ahem, Liu Bei’s envoys have already gone to Jiangdong, Qingzhou, and Yecheng.”

When Guo Jia spoke, Cao Cao became more cautious.

Cao Cao frowned and asked Guo Jia:

“Feng Xiao, are you saying that Liu Bei wants to join forces with Sun Quan, Yuan Tan, and Yuan Shang to deal with me?”

All the generals frowned, but no one spoke.

They can lead troops to fight, but they cannot discuss the world situation in the palace or even make decisions on state affairs. They can only watch the performance of the advisers.

Guo Jia nodded and said to Cao Cao solemnly:
“My lord, do you still remember that last year, when Liu Bei had just taken over Nanyang County, Liu Biao could not wait to mobilize his troops and prepare to seize Nanyang County from Liu Bei?”

“However, Liu Bei sent an envoy, Xu Shu, to Jiangdong, to make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones, to help Liu Bei marry Sun Quan, and to threaten Liu Biao with the Jiangdong army. Xu Shu also went to Xiangyang as an envoy, and finally Liu Bei and Liu Biao reached an agreement, stopped fighting and made peace, and Liu Bei completely secured his position in Nanyang County!”

“Xu Shu is good at making friends far away and attacking those near. He has some skills as a strategist. Liu Bei will definitely not abandon this talent. I’m afraid Xu Shu is trying to get the surrounding princes to jointly attack the lord!”

Although Guo Jia’s voice was not loud, every word he spoke was firm and full of worry. From his words, it seemed that he was a little afraid of this strategist?

“This……”

In the hall, Li Dian, Le Jin, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and other generals were all shocked and surprised by Guo Jia’s address to Xu Shu.

Strategist!
They were not unfamiliar with the strategists. On the contrary, as generals, they all had a good understanding of them.

The School of Diplomacy was an important school of thought during the Warring States Period that was mainly engaged in political and diplomatic activities. Its core idea was to “combine vertical and horizontal forces” to unite weak countries to counter strong countries or to divide strong countries to weaken their power. The School of Diplomacy had many representatives and made remarkable achievements, among which the most famous ones included Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Gongsun Yan, Gan Mao, etc.

Now, can this Xu Shu be called a strategist?
Even Cao Cao, who was sitting in the main seat, frowned.

Seeing Cao Cao remained silent, Guo Jia continued to bow and said:

“My lord first destroyed Yuan Shu, defeated Liu Bei, killed Lu Bu, and then defeated Yuan Shao. Many powerful princes are probably in awe of my lord’s reputation and are worried that if I attack them, they will not be able to resist. Sometimes, deterrence is a sharp weapon, but sometimes, deterrence is a poison.”

“If Xu Shu persuades Sun Quan, Yuan Shang, and Yuan Tan, together with Wancheng occupied by Liu Bei, to attack Xudu from four directions, how will the lord respond?”

Guo Jia said softly to Cao Cao.

“hiss…”

Although Guo Jia’s voice was not loud, it was like a bolt from the blue to the ears of the civil and military officials, causing them to open their eyes wide.

Although they look down on Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, it would be dangerous if Sun Quan, Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan and Liu Bei attacked them from four directions. You know, Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Xuzhou have no strategic locations and no strong passes to defend.

Cao Cao, who had been silent, now looked grim and shouted coldly:
“How dare you, a bunch of dogs, attack Cao Cao?”

Guo Jia bowed to Cao Cao and said no more. He had said what he needed to say. Now it depended on Cao Cao’s attitude.

“Do you have any countermeasures?” Finally, when the atmosphere in the hall was depressing, Cao Cao spoke.

As soon as Cao Cao opened his mouth, Xun You, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia around him all breathed a sigh of relief.

Guo Jia bowed and said:

“Since our army has conquered Wancheng and the lord is unwilling to stay in Xudu, we must first deal with Sun Quan, Yuan Shang, and Yuan Tan.”

“Oh, how to solve it?” After hearing what Guo Jia said, Cao Cao knew that he could personally lead an expedition to Wancheng. He immediately felt relieved and asked Guo Jia hurriedly.

“My lord, to deal with Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, we can still instigate a fight for the throne among Yuan Shao’s sons. Yuan Tan is Yuan Shao’s eldest son, and he should inherit Yuan Shao’s Yecheng, Jizhou. This is unfair to Yuan Tan. My lord, you can ask His Majesty to let Yuan Tan inherit Yuan Shao’s position, the post of general, and make him a marquis in Yecheng. In this way, Yuan Tan will definitely not oppose Sikong, and may even take the opportunity to attack Yuan Shang in Yecheng. In this way, the two Yuans will inevitably fight!” Guo Jia came up with a plan for Cao Cao.

As soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, Cao Cao’s eyes lit up.
It has to be said that Guo Jia’s strategy was able to divert the trouble to the west and allow Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang to fight each other.

You know, the two of them were at odds after Yuan Shao’s death. Last year, when he conquered Ye City, Yuan Shang asked Yuan Tan for help. Yuan Tan agreed on the surface, but the army was slow to move out. If Liu Bei had not suddenly captured Wan City, he would have already attacked Yuan Shang.

“Okay, Fengxiao, this is a very good plan. Let Yuan Tan inherit Yuan Shao’s title and be granted the city of Ye!”

Cao Cao handed the position of general to Yuan Tan without hesitation.

For Cao Cao, it would be great if a great general could make the two Yuans fight each other and resolve a hidden danger.

Guo Jia had a smile on his face. He liked Cao Cao’s decisiveness.

Guo Jia then said:

“My lord, if we want to solve Sun Quan’s hidden danger, we need to use both kindness and force. On the one hand, we need to send generals to guard Hefei and stockpile heavy troops. On the other hand, we need to confer a title on Sun Quan, and it would be best if we could cause a war between Sun Quan and Liu Biao!”

“Otherwise, my lord, you can win over Sun Quan with the title of Marquis of Wu, and promise that if Sun Quan can take Jingzhou, the court will make Sun Quan the governor of Jingzhou. In this way, Sun Quan will definitely not think of joining forces with Liu Bei, but will fight with Liu Biao. Xiangyang is a strong city, and it will take more than a year to capture it. If we take Nanyang County, we may be able to take advantage of the situation to contact the Jingzhou family to take Xiangyang and the area north of the Yangtze River.”

Guo Jia’s face was pale and he coughed slightly. He then offered Cao Cao a plan to disintegrate Sun Quan.

Listening to Guo Jia’s suggestions, Xun You, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, Zhang He, Zhang Liao and other civil and military officials in the hall were all agitated. They were shocked that Guo Jia could make decisions on the future of a prince with just a wave of his hand.

It was hard for them to imagine that if they did so, Sun Quan would not seize this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack on Jingzhou!

“Haha, good, good, Fengxiao, you make Cao Cao like you so much, and then you can make the north and the south fight each other, good!”

In the hall, Cao Cao suddenly cheered loudly, and his voice was filled with deep joy.

(End of this chapter)